Masque of a Macabre Romance
by Crestaldorf
Summary: The rating is for later chapters. I am an amature writer, I do these to keep my brain working. Right now, I know this much, Severus Snape, Romance, intrigue, espionage and an overly dramatic prose style awaits you, I do hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Another day gone by and I'm still standing. I suppose I should be proud.

Some days I lie in bed at night and revel in how old I've become. I've always viewed age as a measurement of life lived rather than years living. Tonight I feel older than ever before; aged, worn out, and fatigued. How then can I be considered anything but old; over the hill? I question how long I will have to continue on this way. Now more than ever I question myself, and how much longer I can withstand my own mind.

The Dark Lord asked to speak with me first thing in the morning. I haven't a clue as to why yet. Perchance I have made a fatal error, a miscalculation, which has slipped by me as a serpent in the grass, unnoticed. Perchance, this is my last night to breathe.

Funny how all I can think is, that I hope I sleep well, so I may be well rested for hell."

Severus Snape capped his quill and closed the thin leather bound tablet he had finished writing in for the night. He sat for a moment longer, his jaw set and his sable eyes lost in the world of turmoil he saw in his mind. He sighed wearily and stood, his long body, thin as a rapier unfolding and standing just shy of six feet and five inches. He reached up his long thin arms to the heaves, knobby spider-like fingers flexing as he stretched, letting out a mix of a sigh and a groan. He then let his body sag, as though the reach towards the heavens had exhausted him. His eyelids drooping he walked towards his bed, far different from the one he had had as a child.

That one had been much smaller, only a cot. It's mattress had been uncomfortable and lumpy, smelling of mildew and musk. He had slept on that cot for 15 years before he had found solace in a new family, a family he to this day lived with. The bed he now slept upon was large, much larger than the one from his childhood, with a firm even mattress and sheets of dark Egyptian cotton. He pulled back the covers and lay beneath them, letting his worn body for once relax ever so slightly and willing his mind clear of all things. He lay in the darkness, and willed the world to stop, if only for a moment, and let him find the smallest fathoming of peace.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The morning came sooner than expected for Severus, he woke though, feeling strangely elated. He could not recall what his mind had dreamt of, he usually did not dream at all. As he stood from his bed, returning his sheets to their rightful position and preparing himself for the unsure day ahead, he tried to focus his inner eye, and recall what it was that had left him with such a incandescent feeling. Only to grow frustrated as one does when they reach for something and are always found to be off by the tiniest of margins.

Leaving his room, he was confronted by the carved face of Bealatrix Black, whose heavily lidded eyes smiled at him, flashing something that he deeply mistrusted. "Hello Sevvy dear." She purred in her husky voice, leering at him. He held back a grimace and inclined his head slightly in recognition of her. "Bella." He said with only the slightest trace of loathing. She linked arms with him as he attempted to walk away from her. "On your way to see the Lord?" She asked sweetly, her dark lashes fluttering at him, though somehow seeming perverse to any Sunday school-girl who had ever lived. He again inclined his head, in an affirmative answer now. She smiled, in her strange way and continued to keep her arm linked with his and to walk with him. "Is there a reason you are attached to me Bella? Or is it leech mating season?" She gave a throaty chuckle and stroked his arm. "Severus, have you any idea at all why the dark lord has called for you?" He paused and looked at her steely eyes "No, but the way your leering, I think I may never see sunlight again." She finally unlatched from him and rolled those large and veiled eyes and shook out her long curtain of ebony hair "No, stupid man. The Dark Lord has a _very_ special mission for yooou" she said in a sing-song voice which alarmed Severus immensely. With her damage being done, she then walked away, a slight spring in her step. Severus continued his walk to his summons, which now caused his mind to spin and spiral.

In the dimmed room he had entered Severus stood at the end of a very long table. At the other end sat a princely throne, and in it, the Dark Lord, a villain, a fiend, a wizard so deeply powerful and so infamous by nature that most dared not to speak his name, also a being whom had been like a father to Severus since he was but an adolescent. The Dark Lord smiled at Severus, his grey flesh wrinkling slightly around the corners of his thin mouth. "Severus, my boy, you have been with me many years now, many years of loyal servitude, you have lived your life by my law and given me love and obedience, you have been a loyal and cut-throat soldier and a trusted ally." Severus stood, not letting the words lull him into a false sense of security, instead bowing and again making eye contact with the Lord, "Yes my lord, happily I have done these things. I consider all that I have done an honor, my liege." If the Dark Lord was capable of beaming with pride, he may have done so now; instead he stood, and walked towards the man standing at the other end of the table, his robes falling about his sunken body in waves as he moved. "That is precisely why I have decided you should have a very important mission that must be dealt with immediately and cannot be permitted to failure Severus." Snape stood straight as his body allowed and nodded curtly "Whatever you ask of me my Lord." "Follow me." The Dark Lord beckoned, moving forward with the grace of a cobra moving through high grasses. Severus quickly joined him.

They walked through many corridors which made up the manor where the Dark Lord and his army of Death Eaters lived and contained a base. They walked until they had reached the lower levels, where the cool would've bothered most, but the two men seemed impervious. Eventually they reached a dead end, deep within the manor and far under what must have been ground level. They stood in front of a door made of thick dark wood. The Dark Lord turned to his minion and stood for a moment in silence, his eyes glimmering with a dark and dangerous glee. Severus took a deep breath and waited for him to speak. "Severus, behind this door lies your mission, it is imperitive that you do not fail me. I must have perfection, I will except no less. This mission requires an adroit skill of persuasion and tact. You must use the most delicate and harsh of methods. I trust you understand me?" Severus bowed more deeply than before and nodded "I understand my Lord." "Good." With that the door was opened and Severus walked in, to his slight bemusement the door shut behind him, without the Dark Lord entering. Severus took a look around the room and frowned, walking forward realized what exactly was in the room and then quickly turned back to the door, a wild look in his dark eyes. "what the hell?!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As Severus tugged and pulled upon the knob of the old door there was movement behind him. He turned, his breath halted, to see movement in the large bed which the room centered around. Then, the covers rustled and the person in the bed sat up. He frowned, and stood at his full height, waiting to be seen.

Seen he was

The girls wild hair surrounded her face like leaves of an ebony tree, half of her bangs standing straight up in the air. She cleared her throat and squinted at him "Um... who-who are you?" She looked around the room "and where am I?"

Snape walked forward, his jaw clenching and unclenching, his hands tensing as his left hand slowly moved upward to his pocket, where his wand lay. "They call me Severus. Who are you young lady?" She scratched her head, causing her hair to riot more-so. "That's an odd name... I'm Coal." He smirked "Coal is an odd name as well, at least for a girl" She nodded "I can see that. " As he walked forward she still squinted at him, he stopped a moment "Why are you squinting so Coal?" She rolled her eyes "I can't see very well, I usually have glasses, I have no idea where they've gone... wait, you never answered me, where am I?" He sighed, his hand now firmly grasping his wand inside of his pocket. As he walked forward, he planned his words, he wanted to give this one mercy, though he couldn't quite say why. "Coal, may I ask you something? It's rather important." He said, as he sat on the bed with her. She paused a moment, looking at him for the first time now that he was near enough. She smiled "You have a very nice nose." She stated, he blinked several times "are you being sarcastic?" He asked, honestly unsure. She shook her head "no, you do! It's very masculine." She said smiling. He frowned, unsure about how to respond. His silence seemed to cause her to become uncomfortable though and she quickly said "And yes, you may ask me a question!"

He nodded, now being set back on his track. "Coal, have you ever just wished that you didn't have to wake up to another day?" For some reason her face transformed, and she suddenly seemed so much older than two seconds before "why?" she asked, suddenly seeming defensive, she then looked around the room wildly

"is this... is this an institution?" She asked, no longer defensive but... hurt. She looked down "I have, but I still wake up every morning! They had no right to send me here! I was doing so well!" He again couldn't comprehend what to say next, having her throw him again so completely. Tears began to form in her eyes, "I'm dealing as best I can. It's not always easy, and yes sometimes I wish I could just not wake up, that I could just die, rot away and never have to suffer the horrific pain it takes to breath ever again, but I still draw another breath as I think these things. I still live, I trudge on, I fight...even if I'm only fighting myself it should count for something!" She said, tears now streaming down her face.

He simply gawked at her for a moment, then, forcing himself back to his task, he pulled himself close to her, placing an arm around her shoulders and leaning into her, so his lips found her ear "Don't you ever get tired of fighting? Aren't you tired Coal?" He felt her nodd against him and took it as a cue to continue "You must be so exhasted Coal, so very worn out. Why don't you rest Coal? It's so easy, just give in." He whispered, his free hand leaving his pocket and carrying his wand with it. She sniffled and leaned into him, he could feel her body shudder under his grip.

It occurred to him now, that this may turn out to be the first time he would recieve permission from his victim. It seemed somewhat bittersweet, and part of him wanted to know why she wasn't fighting it, but the rest of him knew what his job was, and where his place was.

She took a giant deep shuddering breath and whispered "I can't". He frowned "Why not?", "it's too selfish, I would too many people." "No one will hurt if you let yourself rest Coal." She looked up into his eyes, her eyes were that of molten chocolate, swirling in persuit of an unquestioned answer. She pulled away from him "Do you promise?" He nodded, and again grew close to her, taking her face in his hand "Don't you want to rest Coal?" She nodded "So much." He nodded and gave a soft sigh "Do you want me to help you?" She blinked "Why are you offering me this?" He did his best to look harmless "Because I know how fatigued fighting a one sided war can be." She bowed her head "A man named Severus, in a room of antique splendor offers me death on a silver platter... and I long to accept." She looked up at him, "I do accept." He nodded "Shut your eyes Coal." She obediently did so. As he raised his wand and aimed for her heart, her lips parted and she whispered, "In the sleep of death what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil?" He paused a moment to place where he had heard these words, a fruitful moment indeed, as the door swung open to reveal Draco Malfoy whose eyes grew large and who shook his head and beckoned Snape out of the room. He frowned and held up a palm as if to say "One moment, let me finish" and Draco's face became panicked and he shook his head so that it no doubt caused a migrane on his part. Snape sighed exasperatly and leaned forward "keep your eyes closed, only a moment longer..." He stood and walked quickly with Draco out of the room.

"What is it?! Could you not see I was in the middle of something?!" Draco rolled his eyes "Are you mad? You aren't supposed to kill her!" Snape blinked "Pardon me?" "You are not supposed to kill her! Her name is-" "I know her name, get back to what I'm supposed to do with her." Snape interuppted clearly growing aggrivated. Draco blinked and flushed a bit. "You erm... you're supposed to get her to marry you." Snape looked as though he had been slapped "what?!" "You are supposed to get her to marry you. The Dark Lord wants her on our side, apparently the easiest way is to get her through romance, apparently she's a die-hard romantic or something, apparently if you can win her over, she'll change her whole life for you." Snape shook his head "She's lonely so the dark lord wants me to seduce her?" Draco scoffed "If it was any man who could do it, he would've gotten someone else, apparently she hates almost everyone she meets." Snape rolled his eyes. "fabulous!" He shook his head "she's in there waiting for me to go help her die, and Im out here trying to think of a way to bed her." Draco gave a small cough and raised a finger "actually proffesor... you're trying to Wed her, not Bed her." Snape glared, "same difference isn't it? In her first passion woman loves her lover, in all others all she loves is love." He said dismissively. Draco shrugged. Snape rolled his eyes "Fine then, go now, I need to be alone with her..." He looked incredibly displeased as he reached for the knob to the door once again. He took a deep breath, dragging a hand through his hair as he prepared himself "This is going to be a rough one..."


End file.
